


The Patron

by StarryNighty



Category: Sand Castle (2017)
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Intimidation, Pregnancy, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Assault, Shameless Smut, Stalking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 10:40:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25848217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryNighty/pseuds/StarryNighty
Summary: Paring: dark!Captain Syverson x Black Female ReaderSummary: You work at a library and meet a seemingly friendly patron. >:)Warnings: 18+, smut, stalking, intimidation, assault, non-consensual sex. Proceed with caution.A/N: My bff @titty-teetee requested a Dark! Captain Syverson story! I hope you like it wifey! <33Also I gave him a first name but it’s only referenced once in the story.
Relationships: Captain Syverson/Black Female Reader, Captain Syverson/Reader, Captain Syverson/You
Comments: 27
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

A bright sunny fall day gusted cold wind at your feet and blew leaves around you on your walk back into the city library. Opposite to the tone beyond the glass doors the smell of paper and scribbles welcomed you back into the fold. With your lunch break over, you returned back behind the counter, took off your coat and hung it on the hook. And then, refreshed, you continued finishing the update for the catalog of fairy tales.

You intended to wrap up the project in the next few hours. All that was left was sorting the cards back under the topic at hand. In a room off from the greeting counter you stood behind clear windows. Behind a desk with stacks of already organized cards you began to sort them by year. It was quiet work, but enjoyable as it offered the chance to zone out on a monotonous task. 

You weren’t at it long before the interruption. Looking up passed the front greeting area a man stood. He was in conversation with Thomas the library technician. Your eyes focused on the man’s face, handsome but woolly with a thick dark beard and a head of wind blown hair that was loosely curly. While relaxed as he spoke with Thomas he kept his hands in his pockets as he casually glanced around until his eyes landed on you through the glass.

His smile stayed as your eyes met his, you kindly smiled back before returning to your work. Of course, it wasn’t long after that moment that Thomas was already behind the counter and approaching your work room.

“Patron here doesn’t seem to know how a library works,” he whispered. And you glanced back behind him, the man's eyes were locked on the two of you. 

“Anyway, he needs resources on ponds,- I have a lot of software and media to unload. Do you mind?”

“You’re lucky I’m nearly done.” 

Thomas’ grimace cracked into a grateful smile and stepped aside to let you pass. Walking through the door you were met with a bright eyed closed mouth grin from the man as he followed your path from the room. Coming around the side of the counter his hands emerged from his pockets as he spoke with his hands.

He wrinkled his fingers into one another humbly and leaned over toward you. “I’m lost,” He said gently.

He was tall, though not a giant, but his shoulders and frame definitely took up your point of view. 

“How may I help you?”

His hands returned to his pockets deflating the thick wind jacket a bit. “Ponds, I need a few books on the construction, let’s start there.”

You smiled with understanding and without even having to look it up you remembered an author with a series of books. You gestured for the man to follow and he did so, quite closely. 

“I bet you’ve worked here for a while.” he said softly. He was next to you, or as near as possible as you wound around tables towards the back shelves. 

“Oh, I’ve been here for about five years now.”

He tsked his teeth and sucked in hard. “Wow, who knew such a small town would have had an opening.”

His presence was intimidating, to say the least. It was a nagging feeling. He stayed behind you, his presences invading your space. And with the rows of books as a backdrop to him it was hard to forget you had a way out at the other end of the towering shelves. 

“Exactly, I’m lucky to be here.”

He smacked his lips, “Well I’m glad you’re here.”

It was an odd comment, especially for the location. The consideration that perhaps he was hitting on you in an awkward manner didn’t elude you. 

You stopped in front of the shelves, on your tiptoes you reached for the last ascending shelf. But he was there, his arms longer, fingers that could grab further pulled the book out. 

“This one?” he asked. And once again there were only inches in between you and him. “Everything You Need To Know About Ponds?” he said with cheer.

You were looking at the cover of the book but from your peripheral it was completely apparent he was staring. It would have been a normal interaction but the heat rising from your neck to your face left you flustered in his presence.

He leaned in, smelling like a manly soap of some kind and whispered. “Does it really know everything?” in a hushed amusement.

You looked up and his blue eyes were staring back at you, they were icy except for one that had a brown freckle within it. You couldn’t remember the last time a man was this close to you that wasn’t employed here. Far too long, and far too uncomfortable you took a half step back. 

“Well, there are others up there. Grab a couple with varying topics, it will give you a more broad understanding. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

The man smiled and leaned back while still watching you. “If I think of something, you’ll be the first to know.”

With that you nodded and walked back to your station. Though you were not there long until the man was once again approaching the counter. No one else was there but you to help him borrow the book so you did so. Accessing the computer you pulled up the registry. 

“Card please?” you asked.

He pulled out his wallet and handed it to you. Still with a pleasant expression he stared at you as you continued the process of loaning the book out. 

“Sloan Syverson, correct?”

He nodded. “My friends call me Sy, though. That means you too.” 

You glanced from the computer to his face. Confirming his tone was just as you suspected from earlier though he was no longer smiling, but his eyes were staring at you with something unspoken. 

“Go on, say it.” he encouraged you sweetly.

Instead of saying no, you smiled uneasily. “Sy?”

He suddenly burst with a trustworthy smile, “There you go.” 

You continued to process his order and was grateful for the screen instead of looking him directly in the eyes. 

But what disturbed you the most was what he said next. His voice was still friendly, overly so to the point you looked back to him. 

“I want to take you back to my house.” You were shocked, but still in the motion of handing him back his card.

“I want to lick at what’s between your legs.”

“Can you be a good girl?” he paused, watching your eyes growing wider. “I bet you will once I’m through with you.”

The man named Sy slid his card back in his wallet. He looked back at you with a soft smile across his lips, he winked too. And then he picked up his books and began to walk toward the doors leaving you still watching his back as he walked out. 

* * *

Nothing much happened after the day Sy left. Much to your irritation the head librarian didn’t see him as much of a concern.

“We get all kinds in here. Part of the job.”

Bullshit. You had been here for five years and never once until two weeks ago had you ever encountered a patron such as Sy. Even so, you pushed the moment to the back of your head and pulled through work in a haze of lukewarm worry. He would be back.

And right on time, there he was walking across the space of the library to the section you had shown him. Unfortunately it was near where you were too. Fighting against the policies of the library you had to acknowledge him but didn’t want to. So it came out as a half-hearted crooked grin toward him. 

You began to look busier by stacking more books in your arms. Slinking back toward the next aisle he suddenly said quietly. “I think I know where to go now.” You looked at him as he passed the end of the row you were about to disappear into and he winked. 

You knew there was no one else other than archiving staff in the building. It was your turn this morning anyway to be in charge of borrows and returns. The pep talk ensued as you began to quickly shelve the books. _Check him out fast, don’t make eye contact, interact with passable kindness._

The string of worry was seemingly endless, winding its way up your spine, curling around your stomach and chilling your bones. He was handsome, appeared decent but when he opened his mouth something other wholly dangerous was presented. You couldn’t shake the feeling, even now with a counter between you and him. An overwhelming sensation that you had to go and get away drove up your worry now into anxiety pointing at one single fact. You were not safe.

When you grabbed for his card, tight muscles caused the slick piece of plastic to fumbled to the counter. “Easy there, precious.”

You heard him clearly, but even so his voice was a blurry stain in the back of your head to the urge to hurriedly get him out of your space. 

Entering his information faster than you had ever done so before you crossed the card back to him. And you become eerily concerned when you narrowly escape his fingers grazing over yours.

“No need to be nervous. I’ll be gentle.”

The only comment was no comment to his flirtations. Stiff and noticeably uncomfortable at his bright smiling face, you refused to look at him directly and simply nodded when you completed the transaction. One step further from giving him nothing more you turned away from the counter with “Have a nice day.”

And you did not turn back around until you were sure he was gone. Finally, taking a whole and entire deep breath you braced against the counter and stared around the library. 

* * *

_You had to be going crazy, right?_

This had gone too far. First, a week ago at the store you saw him there. Maybe he had always gone to this store, at that particular time. Of course it was one of two grocery stores in town but now, you knew what he looked like and definitely noticed him. And then, a few days from that, at the general store where you shopped for cheap household goods, he was there. Clearly he had entered after you because his cart was empty. He wasn’t staring at you but there was a distinct feeling of chase. And yesterday, after work about 5:30 a big blue truck was the only other vehicle in the lot other than yours. As you drove by it by the only exit it wasn’t hard to catch the silhouette of his hair and big shoulders. 

But this, your coffee shop, your favorite out of the way drinking hole was invaded. Now you knew he was following you. This was your main spot, you always came here for lunch, had an iced coffee and caught up with your messages. 

You sat in your regular corner with your back to the wall, front facing the door and wide widows to give you a complete picture. Sy stepped in while running a hand through thick black curly hair. It then rubbed over his bushy beard as he stepped up to the counter to order. 

Why was he here? _Here??_

Your hand down by your thigh immediately tightened around your jeans. Flexing with unreleased worry you glanced back down at your phone when he started to turn in your direction. Quickly you gathered up your things and stood up. 

Walking far away from him as you could, you strode toward the shop's door. “It was nice to see you again,” he called from behind you. 

Gripping the handle hard, and on impulse from your years of retail service you turned to him. He was smiling again in that sweet, pleasant way that did little for his unemotional eyes. Confirming your fears, absolutely telling you without a doubt he knew who you were and why he was there, you pushed on the door. You said nothing back and walked out of the shop. 

\---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----- ---- ---- ---- ---- -----

You hung up the phone and dipped your head into your hand. You weren’t crying but close to it as you tossed the phone back into your purse. 

Calling the police was the correct reaction. But now you doubted the path to how you came to it after the officer told you there was little that could be done. He wasn’t technically breaking any laws. “There’s no law against being in the same place as you,” they had said.

But it was so much more than that and you knew it. 

The day at work passed in a blur of books, in-take, and piles of cards and with it you prayed every time the front doors opened that it wasn’t him. Even when you walked across the lot that evening your car was the only one today. Maybe you were seeing things. Or better yet, maybe he had given up.

A short, uneventful dinner of packaged quick noodles settled your stomach enough to lay down after your shower. Your comforter of baby blue fading into sunset orange like a crisp fall evening invited you to climb in. And when your eyes closed and rolled to the back of your head sleep did not come. Turning in bed something papery hit your left hand. 

You pulled it out and with the light from the pale light of the street lamp you held it up above your head. Something was written on with big bold letters. Sitting up, with your eyes directly on it you read the note.

> _I love you. Precious one, you smell so good too. Look up baby, your man is here._

The paper began to vibrate between your fingers. Hands trembling, a worried tickle popping up along your spine connected the dots. Something moved across your bed room and you cursed yourself for always sleeping in such a dark house. You were in the only light of the room while the closet at the other end of the room was in complete darkness. But there was more, a figure blacker than the shadow was moving, growing bigger as it came forward.

This was a dream, your mind yelled. Wide eyed you sat there, shallow breaths fell from your lips until finally a naked man came into view. Tears poured then as he came fully into the light. Sy stood at the end of your bed, shadows cut across his muscular body and face. Though there were dark rings where his eyes should have been the corners were pinched as he began to smile.

You scrambled across the bed but not fast enough. As soon as you got to your knees you were thrown back to the bed. He was all over you holding you down with a strength you had never known. Besides his power, he was heavy as he pressed his chest against yours and rested his hips between your legs.

“Come’on girl-” Sy began but you tried to kick, started to scream but he shut your mouth. “Now, now baby. Listen..I’m not leaving anytime soon. Okay?” You mumbled and then yelled again through his fingers. “Shhh..all that ain’t going to help none.”

“You have to let me go..” you blubbered past his fingers.

He chuckled, “That’s not gunna work. I’ve been watching you for months. We’re so perfect for each other. You can’t cook to save your life, but I can, baby. You don’t even go out, have friends..well I’ve never had really close people either. You’re alone and so am I. Now we have each other.”

His smile dropped at the same time his hand slid from your lips. Enveloping you within the incredible heat of his body he wrapped his hand around your throat. He licked his lips, and then kissed you lightly. “I even have a home for us. Took out most of my savings but it’s yours..I’m yours.”

He kissed you again and didn't stop there.

He suddenly shifted to the edge of the bed and pulled out a bundle of thin rope. You wrestled with him, but not for long. Easily he snatched your wrists together and then attached the rope to your intricate wooden headboard. How he touches you next was like your body was fragile ground or had finally achieved some great feat. Grazing with his finger tips from your throat and over your tee-shirt Sy bundled it in his hands and ripped it open over your breasts. 

You used the headboard, and your weight tied to it as leverage enough to bring your body up and kick at his ribs. He hunched over in pain, but only for a second. And when he returned Sy grabbed you by the throat again and smacked you hard across the face. Blinding white coated your vision.

“Baby, I’m sorry about that..- but you’re really gunna wanna hold still if you want to feel good.”

Shaking now until skin is tight and muscles rigid you can't collect your thoughts. Your momentary lapse is his success, Sy’s hands stay flush against your naked body as he descends to your underwear. Within an instant he has them off, his big arms pressing down on your inner thighs as he buries his face between your folds. 

With disgusting accuracy he rolled his tongue around the nub of your clit. Staying there, sucking and licking at it as if he had always done so. You turn your face away, an escape maybe, but you hoped it expressed that you didn’t want this. When his tongue entered you though, you jerked and he continued to taste you anyway.

He brought himself back up after, didn’t bother to wipe his face as he kissed you again. The air pushes out of you as he falls to his elbows and slips into you. Heavy breaths waft over your face, his huffing grows harder the faster he pumped. His large hands hold you down more above your armpit tightly, rocking into you, pinning you down and there was no escaping Sy. 

He slides into you over and over easily, spreading you, taking you. “I won’t leave you,” Sy keeps pumping, his beard scraps over your chin and jaw. He kisses the apple of your cheek. Then opens his mouth, licks there greedily tasting your tears, and then bites gently. Holding your skin between his teeth he thrusts into you.

He says your name in such a delicate manner that it has you turning your eyes to his face. He said it again, this time dragging out of his throat and you feel him hardening more inside of you. 

He stared at you dead in the eyes as he whispered a promise. “You are mine now,” He purred your name again. Pumping long and deep like he was making love to a long lost soulmate. He pecked your cheek in a trail down to your mouth. “I’ll love you forever…”

“And I won’t leave you..” 

* * *

The next morning you awoke to the smell of stale skin. Bruised wrists were now free, your mind begged your body to get up from the bed. Naked from the waist down, with the rags of your tee-shirt clinging to your arms you looked around. Sy wasn’t there, the bedroom door was open and you didn’t dare think to leave that way. 

Refocusing on the familiar surrounding, naturally you gazed at the window. Your whole home was on the ground floor. With horror, wrestling from somewhere in the kitchen got you up fast from the bed. You ran to the corner of the room, slid open the window and pushed out the screen. 

“Where’re you going baby?” 

His voice is the catalyst, scratching at the base of the window, throwing your body through it and hitting the ground with a scream. It doesn’t stop even when you run through the yard, to the next yard across the street, to the door of your neighbor. 

The next five hours carry through you. A smudge of memories really, talking with the police, going to the hospital to finally return to your home. Walking into the bedroom. Mechanically going about changing the bedding like nothing ever happened. But your eyes caught the threads of the rope snagged in the creases of your headboard. You finger them barely feeling anything. 

But that wasn’t true. Hunched over on your bed you stared at the strands. Memories too hard to fight back devastated your resolve. Fat tears rained, the hard wall blocking your emotions crumbled as you dropped to the bed.

This day marks the first of many days of heartbreak.

* * *

##  **7 months later**

Two years in prison wasn’t near enough. You knew that, the police knew that. And yet through a judicial technicality he eluded most of it. The person you were before Sy was slowly returning, though different still because who are we if nothing but a collection of past events. You hadn’t expected this though. 

You had settled for what life had for you now. The events belonged to you, it was your story after all, that continued to unfold since meeting Sy. _He could fuck right off._

Delicately, you stroked your big belly soothing the kicking within. You half wondered if it could feel your fear like it could hear your heartbeat. Staring at your house from the drive way you decided to continue that mind set of stanch balance at any positive moment you could get. 

You process what it means to have him back out in the world while you put away groceries. Cans in the pantry, spices in the rack and all you can think about is the moment he returned. 

_Because he would._

Carrying vegetables to the sink for washing your eyes catches an object on the counter. For a few seconds you wonder if this is the moment. Because on the surface a knife sat there that you couldn’t remember putting there. By God, you know pregnancy has brought on terrible side effects including memory blips. But this, it was the longest you had and it was sitting with the handle pointed out to the room. 

“That’s my baby isn’t it?”

You jerked so hard at the voice you dropped the bunch into the sink and gripped it like the house itself shook. With tension in your back so tight it should have broken it, you turned around slowly. It hits you hard that you were right, he would have never left you be.

Disbelieving your eyes you can only manage a simple shake of your head. Sy stepped into the kitchen with heavy booted footfalls. A sob shook from your chest, even though you had sworn to yourself he would never see your emotions again. 

“Precious girl, I’ve missed you so much.” Sy kept walking, your heart threatened to stop.

He was staring at you with that familiar kind face, and sincere eyes from when you had first met him. As if he were seeing a buddy after so much time had passed and he smiled genuinely despite your terror.

In front of you now with his powerfully built frame blocking your escape he whittled at the rim of his cap with his fingers and thumbs. 

“Why’d you have to go and do that? We love each other..I love you.”

If there was ever a moment to react it was now. You blinked quickly and cleared your throat before you spoke. “I don’t know who you are.” you said with your voice twisting out of your throat.

He tossed his cap on top of the knife behind your left side. He leaned in putting one hand on each side of you. He tilted his head, blue eyes roaming over your face with a quizzical expression. 

“Sure you do…” You flinched when his hand left the counter, he dipped down past your belly and shoved his hand under the hem of your dress. You stiffened immediately even though he easily slid his hand up to the fabric of your underwear. 

He bit his lip, glanced down to where he was rubbing his fingertips over your mound. “I’ve been here--you whined like a little puppy when I stuck it in.”

He doesn’t stop even though now his eyes are drifting to the countertops and floor. “You’ve changed shit around.” 

His eyes fall back to yours, kindly with the love he professes. “Threw some out too but you kept this didn’t you?” Sy’s hand leaves your warmth, travels up underneath your dress to your protruding stomach and spreads his fingers wide over it. 

“I told you...I promised I wouldn’t leave you.”

Shivering entirely from the inside out, your voice came out in a whisper. “It’s _my_ baby..”

“Oh come on now sweetheart..we made that together. We’re as good as married…”

The situation spiraled as his hands, both now, were under your dress kneaded your plump breasts. His eyes darken, it was the first time you had ever seen them do this. You slap at his face, hard and move to the left toward the knife. He picks up fast at just what you have planned. Snatching up your wrists before you could even touch it he turned you around forced you face down. 

Sy was inside of you before there was time to know what he was going to do. You reached for the knife again only for him to grab it and throw further down the counter. 

Worst nightmare come true, you are back to where you started with the kind patron. Sobs unfold from your lips. 

“It’s okay, precious…” He tangles your hair in his hand, wretches your neck back, your body too closer to his chest. He bends you back, belly heaving back and forth as he forces his way in repeatedly. “I’m here now..”

You brace against the sink as his hand finds its way back under your dress. He presses it against your stomach, holding you by the hair, pulling you back and gripping your stomach he fucked you hard and fast. 

Grunting, his whispers come out ground and rough around his teeth. “I’m yours baby,” He hastily moaned as soon as you went to move away, but it doesn’t help you. It only benefits him by freeing up more space so he could penetrate further. 

“Tried to put me-- away didn’t you...bi-- _bitch_ ,” 

Sy’s voice growled and rolled into a drawn-out curse. His hands shoved at you until he had your hips at his mercy. At your forced submission you can feel the muscles in his thighs at yours slapping and sweating. Your sobs rattled with the vicious rhythm. 

“I told you..--wasn’t going.”

To the hilt, Sy drove in with an anguished hiss and went still.“Fuck, sweetheart.”

He slipped from you as he pulled at your shoulders forcing you to turn back around toward him. Both breathing hard, he held your head in his hands. Frightful goosebumps ignite where he touches you, breaths on you. “I love you..I do.” 

He pried your head up to him and kissed you. Scratching his beard over your lips and chin he sticks his tongue in too hoping you would respond. When you don’t he continues to squeeze your head prompting you to stiffly reciprocate the kiss. 

“You’re coming with me.” he says between his tender pecking. “I’ll help you pack.”

He presses his forehead to yours. “I can’t wait to start our life together honey. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paring: dark!Captain Syverson x Black Female Reader
> 
> Summary: Continuation of The Patron
> 
> Warnings: 18+, smut, stalking, intimidation, assault, non-consensual sex. Proceed with caution.
> 
> A/N: Thank you @titty-teetee for beta’ing this! I hope you like it! <33

Fingers gripped the door, winding and twisting your knuckles over the thick plastic, Texas hills passed in the light of twinkling stars. True to his word, Sy, had taken you. To where, you weren’t sure. The path from your home in the heart of the small city had dwindled fast from street lamps to a highway in the night, that stretched into a dirt road you were on now. 

Dust billowed around the headlights, thick tires slung gravel under the truck, knocking ever so often and reminding your anxiety that you were actually there. Sy hadn’t taken his eyes off the road since he had set out. You sat in silence, for the most part, next to him swallowed up by fear to move, while a set of dog tags ever so often dinged together. Eyes stayed half open, tired as you were, you refused to shut them. 

Hills swept passed, the crawl of thready mesquite trees hung over barbed-wire fencing turned the domesticated pastures into wild country. You didn’t recognize a single thing in the dark. Maybe you would have if this journey had taken place on the highway, but out here, on the red dirt - you could be anywhere.

And just when you thought to speak pinpoints of light emerged further down the road, even further still into the dark of what could be a home. Sy turned right on another gravelly road, the lights grew brighter, winding with the path you kept watching. And then another turn, to the left was when Sy finally spoke.

“Home sweet home, precious!”

Sy leaned over a bit, though not much, his long muscular arm reached across the console as his hand rubbed over the top of your stomach.

“You’re going to enjoy it out here. It’s quiet, plenty of room to grow. I even built your own library of sorts.”

Hearing the softness of his voice you were encouraged that perhaps he would hear your plea.

“I have my own things..” you whispered at first, cleared your throat and spoke up. “Back at my house. I have every I need there, even stuff for the baby. If you could just take me back to my home.”

Sy kept driving, dark eyes lit up as the lights around the home softened the edges of his face. 

“What, and leave all this?” He waved a hand toward the windshield. 

Your eyes rolled from the thin smile hidden in his thick beard to the land. From what you could see in the dark, a house four or five bedrooms wide stood nestled in between tall pine trees, and shrubbery. It appeared clean, bright in the night and rimmed with more bushes, and coming up close now, a metal fence. 

“I cleared everything within that fence line, baby. Our land stretches back behind the house to the creek and everything you see on this road is ours too. You’ll love it here.”

Sy parked just outside a tall iron fence, rusted the same color as the dirt around it, he got out with the jangle of keys. You studied the surroundings, besides the light further up the road, the lights on the fence did little to really illuminate any sort of natural markers. He had taken you to an unknown place indeed.

You watched him inwardly swing the huge fence into the property until it stuck in the dirt on the side. Jogging a bit in his stride, the giant of a man flexed his arms as he held them close to his body. The cab lamp of the truck was still on as he got back in. His normally blue eyes, now shark like in the light, glimmered with unbridled excitement.

“Please, Sy-”

The expression fell, just like that, in its place palpable disappointment glared back at you. 

“Get that out of your head,” he advised. “It’s been done already, okay?”

Tears began to well up in your eyes as the light clicked off. Your eyes shimmered in the glow of the fence’s post lights. 

“No..my..girl.” Sy leaned over, wrapped his arms around your stiff body. He rested his chin somewhere near the back of your head. “We’ll talk more about it inside okay? I didn’t mean to shut you down. It’s just I’m excited to get our life together started.”

He pecked your head, and readjusted back behind the wheel, then set off again. He pulled forward enough past the gate. He got out of the truck, closed and locked the fence once again before returning to the seat. You were silent again, tears poured from your eyes in a hopeless stream. The closer the house came into view, the easier it was to cry.

And you didn’t move once the truck parked in the curved dirt and gravel driveway. You sat there staring up from the passenger side window at the house. It appeared to be as any other home, with a large front porch, wrapped in screen, the roof adequate for a home this size - only that instead of a happy family dwelling within it was devoid of a beating heart. 

“I’ll help you.” said Sy, opening your side door. He held his out but you opted to help yourself. Slowly you slid down the seat and landed on the crunchy fall grass. 

He didn’t step aside, he stood in front of you. If not for the cab lamp any expression on his face would have been hidden. But here the light played over his usual kind smile and softening eyes. 

“We’ll do this together.” His hands held the sides of your stomach. “Don’t worry yourself,” 

His eyes dropped further down to where his hands rubbed you gently. And as if he were talking to himself he hummed and said, “No..we got nothing to worry about do we?”

* * *

When your eyes opened the next morning for a short few seconds it was as if you were still in your own home. But as you blinked, slowly your reality came into focus. Instead of your newly painted walls of blue and silvery floral pattern, your eyes met the harsh olive green, with dark wood trim. The bed was soft enough and comfortable enough for you to fall asleep as soon as Sy had made you lay down in it the night before. 

You stood and walked out of the room to the adjoining bathroom. Not that you were in a hurry, after all, where would you escape too, you washed your face quickly and used the toilet. Afterwards, you grabbed at a box Sy had left at the foot of the bed. Too heavy to lift within it contained the contents of your drawers from home. You found a simple shirt, big enough to accommodate your belly, and this time a pair of jeans that would make it hopefully harder for him to get into. 

You put on socks, some slippers too and walked out of the room. The house was nice, you’d give him that, it smelled new inside too. From this bed room it emptied to a hallway with a few more doors you assumed were bedrooms as well. But you turned right toward an archway and entered the living room. Your eyes fell immediately to the glass window of the front door. 

“Hungry?”

Devastated you slowly turned back toward Sy’s voice. He was standing in another arch way, behind him you could see the kitchen. 

“Come’er, I’ll make you something to eat and we’ll talk love.”

A few minutes later you were in the kitchen, standing near the fridge and still close to the exit. 

“Got some iced coffee in the box,” Sy was wiping his hands on a dish towel but pointed to the refrigerator, “And here, in this cupboard-” he suddenly walked in your direction toward the cabinets near the refrigerator. “The cups and plates are up here.”

He grabbed a glass tumbler, stopping in front of you and handed the glass over.

“Now, I’m not sure what you like to eat. But I like sausage gravy and biscuits for a morning like this. I had my run, checked the perimeter and now I need substance.” He cracked a smile with the last few utterances.

“In other words, I’m hungry as fuck. What about you?”

Your stomach grumbled with the smell of the biscuits baking. “I could eat.” you muttered and peeled away from the fridge and retrieved the container of cold sweetened coffee.

Sy was near you again, he leaned in and pecked the side of your head as he retrieved two plates. He went about making your portion, a big fluffy biscuit split from the top to bottom and spooned over a generous helping of sausage gravy. He walked through the kitchen, to the large, heavy dining room table and sat your plate down next to the head seat. On the other side of the table four ceiling to floor windows were curtain-less allowing you to see the land for as far as your eyes could linger. But you concentrated on him, followed behind semi close and sat down with your glass of coffee. 

You wanted to dive in, you were starving but worried, and none of this made sense. But you were here, waiting for him to join regardless. And when he did, you picked up your fork and took a large bite.

“Good?” 

You looked over at him, he was watching you with a side smirk. He fanned a hand through his curls as he lightly chuckled. “Eat up buttercup. There’s a lot more over there.”

You ate half of the biscuit before you said anything. After taking a swig of coffee, you wiped your mouth with the towel laying between the plates. Wringing it in your hands, you cleared your throat.

“I want you to know- Thank you for not hurting me last night.”

Sy continued to chew, though his eyes moved from watching the yard to you. 

“I’m sorry I put you in jail. But..this..”

He put his fork down, leaned under the table to the towel in your hands and took it. He sat back, sucking his teeth and then cleaned his hands and beard. 

“Alright. So I noticed you. It was a tough day. Fucking lost the keys to my truck outside the store. Almost fucking lost it right there my damn self. But when I walked back into the story, I saw this beautiful woman handing my keys back to the manager behind the counter. And I thought to myself; Well wouldn’t you look there Sloan, this world is shit but she was kind enough to return something so inconsequential as a set of keys to a manager, hoping they’d get back into the right hands.

I didn’t look back after that.” He shook his head while still gazing at you. “No way, no how. You were it. I just knew that over time you would come to appreciate me like I do you. And well..I’ll admit I was a bit aggressive at first. I didn’t intend-”

He cut his eyes from you back to the windows lost in thought. “I didn’t intend to go that far that night. I just wanted to lay near you.”

“You raped me.”

“I adore you.” he said sharply.

He took a drink of his tall glass of orange juice. 

“I just so happened to show you what a good girl you could be for me was all.”

You shook your head and averted your eyes back to the window. 

“I assure you, there’s nothing- save that baby in your belly that I love more.”

“What about my life? I have a job, a house of my own, bills-”

Sy continued to eat again. Passed a few chews, he chuckled. “We’re going to work on that today. You’ll need to cancel the utilities, I’ll pay. And you were going on leave from work anyway, right?”

You didn’t speak. Only turned your eyes back to him disbelieving what you were hearing.

“Then I’m a prisoner?”

This seemed to turn his stomach, Sy put his fork down and furrowed his thick brows. “No,” his tongue clicked around his back teeth as he finished chewing. “No, not at all, honey. But I’m not going anywhere so you ought to get used to it. Might as well make a go of it.”

“Make a go of it? Of what?” surprise burst from your face, your mouth hung open. “Like a relationship?”

Sy pushed his plate from in front of him and crossed his arms over the edge of the table. “This is your home too,” he said patiently.

“You stalked me!” you shouted back.

“Your things are already here.”

“You broke into my house!”

Sy suddenly pushed away from the table, in doing so, slid it across the floor further down too. He towered over you, with a finger pointed down at you. 

“Everything you need is here. Now I’m going to give you a few weeks to adjust, growing pains and all that..but after - I expect proof of life.”

Tears were pooling again. But despite the sadness, rage blasted its way up from your throat. “I don’t have to do a goddamn thing! Prove what, Sy! That I love you..”

He didn’t let you finish. Sy began to gather the plates, his cool was slowly coming to an end and you kept pushing.

“I want to go back home. My home, not this place.”

You got up and followed him to the kitchen shouting every step of the way. “You took me!...I don’t know where I am out here! I’m scared-”

Your voice broke and with so did your resolve. His disgruntled stance relaxed as he turned back around in front of the sink. He crossed large arms over his equally broad chest. Studying your tears, the shake in your shoulders he dropped the grimace. 

“You don’t have to be afraid.” he said, leaning toward you with his lower back still on the edge. “You will be fine.” he added.

Words formed and before you could speak a rumble and pop of an engine stole them. You stared at Sy as his eyes moved to the left, toward the sound. 

He pushed off the sink, dropped his arms but said softly before he left the kitchen. “Stay here.”

A half of a minute later you did not. Thinking of escape you strode through the living room on the cusp of the front door slamming behind Sy. You got to the window and peaked past the curtain. A man, about the same height as Sy stood from the beat up tan sedan. The front of the hood poured white smoke as he gestured toward the hood as Sy spoke. You couldn’t really hear what was being said, only that Sy kept his space from the man. 

Great, there were two of them now. And with a car in that condition would do little to help anyway. The man took a step closer to Sy. Black greasy, thin hair on top of his head stuck to the side of his smooth leathery pale face. As he spoke his smile and yellow teeth became animated with every word. 

The wind picked up around the two of them. Thick clouds of deep blue and pale white rolled and churned beyond the horizon. Sy nodded to the man, held out his hand and shook it. You stood and observed Sy meddling under the hood of the car before finally tapping on the side of it for him to start it. 

You thought about running. But once again, the man climbed out of the car, he was skinny, deflated even that you knew Sy would take him out easily. And so you watched the man get back into his car and back out of the driveway.

\-- --- --- --- -- --- -- -- -- 

You laid on the far side of the bed. No window to peer at your eyes stayed on the set of drawers not too far away. In the dark you could pretend that somehow this was the nice table you had beside your window, in your own room back home. And the longer you stare the more you could imagine the window just above it, and beyond it the street light that bled through your curtains. 

When the door to the bedroom opened any thoughts of home sucked back down into your mind.

The bed dipped and shifted behind you, wiggling your body as Sy took up the space behind. He slung arm over the width of your belly and hugged in tight. Your breath sank into shallow breaths. His beard scratched at your temple as he positioned his other arm at the top of your head on the pillow. 

From the stiff rod slowly grinding at your lower back and ass he was naked. You shut your eyes and pretended to be asleep. He kissed your ear, over and over lightly leaving soft pecks down the crease of your neck and shoulder. His arm left on your belly grazed up your body, pulled on the shoulder of your shirt and kissed there again. When you didn’t respond Sy softly chuckled under his breath. 

“You wanna play this game?”

Sy sat up, his knee pushing against your ass he grabbed at your underwear just as you rolled over to stop him. 

“I know you’re angry with me baby. Let me make it up to you.”

You half fought him but mostly gave in to his steel grip on your thighs. He adjusted his position again, now to your side, the bushy hair of his chest brushed over your thigh as he leaned over. His tongue ran circles around your clit. Thick fingers spread you apart while the other tenderly prodded at your entrance. Your hand slammed over his muscular back and he began to suck.

“You’re getting slippery, baby,” he said between long licks.

He was right, the feeling dragged out of you, pushing and constricting along your stomach and thighs. Your hands flew to your face in an effort to hide the pleasure. But it was no use, he hummed along along your cunt, licking and moaning, slurping you up until the moment you came around his fingers.

Heavy breaths fell from your lips as he folded back again against you. He wrapped his arms over and under you, pulling you back to your side, nudging your ass back into his crotch and the length waiting for you. 

The feeling of him sagged down inside of you, dragging and pulling your skin that was stretched around his cock. 

“Slow..down--it’s too deep..” 

He did as you asked and held you closer by wrapping his hand over your belly and the other under your shoulder and held your head next to his. “I don’t want to hurt my girl...do I..” he whispered into the dark.

He caressed your forehead with the tips of his fingers, kneading and keeping you near him. Sy rocked his hips into you, long languid thrusts followed his moans. Heavy panting, his body hard and tense behind you he kept going.

“Baby, I’m so sorry for hurting you,” he groaned, and broke his word by thrusting faster. “Hold still- I had to have you…”

His words, something breaks inside of you at the same time a rush of syrupy wetness seeped around his length. 

“I won’t do this again,” he promised with a moan into your ear. He pressed his forehead to your temple, breathing heavy all over your face. 

“Good girl,” He kissed your cheek and with it his sweat smudged across your skin. 

Sy’s face twisted into a wince, raking his teeth against your temple and hair while sliding into you one last time. 

“I promise...I won’t do it again..”

* * *

It was warming up again. Early morning spring gray fog wrapped around the trees and anything that would sit still. The previous night floats around in your head like the swirling mist around Sy coming across the yard. Black tank top, grey cargo shorts with military boots came stomping up. A dirty baseball cap hid his eyes as he surveyed the property. 

You retreated away from the window further into the house. Passed the room you shared with him you walked to the next door on the right. As soon as you opened the door ghostly morning light poured in from two large floor length windows. In between them a door in the same type of wood that made up the all wood shelves. This room was bigger, with a tan and white cowhide for a rug in the middle. Comfortable chairs of suede, leather maybe sat atop it between the four, a coffee table, solid and made of the trunk of a tree. 

The shelves were hardly filled, the room too looked half finished as well. In your estimate another couple of hundred would have fit easily. Between groups of shelving were framed photographs. In the corner of the room a stack of different sized boxes sat stacked on top of one another. 

Curiosity or not, it moved you to check out the contents. From the top, you flipped open the lid to a few piles of photos, many you ignored and reached for the already framed ones. The heavy metal frame you pried from under a couple of others was a photograph of a group of men. Immediately your eyes landed on Sy, hair buzzed and the same bushy beard, standing in the middle back with the backdrop of a white palace. With the frame you apparently grabbed up a few papers with it. On them recommendations from higher ups for commendation in acts of bravery in war. 

You learned more here about Sy than in court. Within the box you saw photos of his family, pets, old drawings of tanks. The sum of his life appeared to fit into a box no higher than your knees, how sad. Though the contents were neither here nor there, it lacked a voice, his perspective. You couldn’t help but think, if only he weren’t himself, maybe you would want to listen.

* * *

**Days Later**

Evening pressed in and so did the darkness in your mind. Sy had pulled you through the day gently. Slow at first, he rose to conversations adamantly with you but there wasn’t much you could say. 

Home sounded good. Your place of rest, your job was more on your mind than ever. 

Better to forget, you thought. But throughout the day it drifted back to you crashing over your heart and mind.

“Movie night?” asked Sy from the kitchen doorway. He crossed his arms and leaned against the frame.

Hair wild from the day his curls bunched up around his ears and the back of his neck. A relaxed expression brought on by deep sympathy Sy kindly grinned and hoped you would speak.

“Something romantic?”

You turned your eyes from him back to the news mumbling from the television.

“Action it is then!”

One after the other, your legs took up space on the couch in hopes that Sy wouldn’t sit close. It paused him as his eyes moved from your legs to your eyes. He huffed, cracked a smile before picking up your ankles and replacing them on his lap. The minute the credits began to roll across the screen a sharp kick to your rib and bladder had you groaning. 

Sy’s hands were immediately all over your stomach, crowding you he leaned in close. “What’s wrong?”

Another kick and your hands were moving over your belly with his. “It’s moving, feels like flip flopping..oh my god - it hurts.”

Your head hit the cushion and your eyes shut. Breathing in and out slowly to take the hits you attempted to concentrate on that instead of the movement within. 

“Tell me what to do.” said Sy, voice straining, he was still rubbing your stomach. 

“There’s nothing to be done.” you hiccuped in pain. “It just is..”

That wasn’t a good enough answer for him. With your eyes still shut his hands moved from your tight stomach to your feet. He removed your socks and with his big hands he wrapped around your foot. Kneading your sole applying pressure at the tender points until you melted back into the couch. It worked, you relaxed into his touch and with it your body as well.

* * *

Days cauterized into a lump of a Friday evening. You swore to whoever would listen that this man wouldn’t be the end. Here you were, sitting next to him laughing at his stupid jokes, his cynical outlook on life like he had never taken you from the life you had. The fire from the pit roared down to smoldering coals of mesquite chunks, wafting up the smell of cooking meat, and vegetables. You were comfortably warm, in comfortably pleasant company.

Off the back porch in the thick of green grass you sat near Sy around the pit in the ground. You could tell he was in his element. He poked at the fire ever so often with a long stick, yelled at it sometimes too if it needed another log. Lost for better words, he was gentle in this moment, content. Caring and uncomplaining about what needed to be done. He fed you too, which you were happy to eat to the soundtrack of his voice and the distant thunder.

“Sloan?”

He stuck in a large bit of steak and sat back on a giant cedar log fit for sitting. But true to him and how you approached his type of comfort, you too leaned back against it. Chewing slowly the steak melted in your mouth, but the bit of potatoes stuck to the roof of your mouth. Still, it was better than what you could make over an open fire.

“That’s my name, Sloan Griffin Syverson, same as my dad, and his dad before.” 

You hadn’t paid much attention to his full name before. Even in court, you moved through the system not allowing any part of him to stick to your memory. 

“Did you buy this house?” you tilted your head back toward the family home. 

“My grandfather was born here. But over time the family did what they could to maintain the land. But ultimately it fell into disrepair..until us.”

You knew he wasn’t speaking of just himself. You concentrated back on your meal while he watched you pick at the potatoes on the plate.

“I added on to it...really make it our own.”

“Well the color in our bedroom could use some work. It looks like baby poop in there.”

Sy pointed at you with an open mouthed silent laugh. “I knew you would hate that color. I thought about changing it.”

You ate the last of the potatoes with a smile. A surprising act on your end but it also put a smile on his face. 

“Well, I’m going to get a drink.” you suddenly deflected from the loving gaze. 

Sy held your hand as you got up. “Will you get me a beer?” he asked. Smoke drifted up with the shift of the wind. You fanned it away, walked around the large round log and nodded your answer.

With a glass in one hand, and his cold beer in the other you began to walk back to the door, when a sound halted your movement. Past the glass you saw the fire, smoldering yellow and orange but you did not see Sy. The sound was a firecracker, a pop in the wind really and it happened again. By the time you walked to the dining table to set down the glass and beer Sy was stumbling in the back door. He was cursing, holding his thigh and hobbling in as he shut off the light. 

“Get down!” he growled. You crouched low like the dark was heavy on your shoulders. He slammed the door behind him and held his left thigh. Your eyes dropped to the dark stream coursing down his leg. 

“What the fuck is going on!” you asked him looking utterly wild eyed.

Sy whipped around and grabbed your upper arm. “I said get down, god damnit.” 

More shots rang out behind him. He yanked you along through the kitchen, to the living room, you thought he was headed to the front door but pulled you through the hallway passed the bed room and to the library instead. He shoved in with him right behind you. But he kept you close as he walked to a framed photo. Sy gently pushed you down against the wall and to the floor and instructed you to be quiet. 

He stuck at the corner off from the photograph, then the wall popped out and he opened it like a door further.

“Talk to me.” you hissed in the dark.

“That fella from the other day is back..I guess he wants more than what I want to give.”

“He shot you!”

“I gather that.”

“Do you have a gun-” but all words dried up as a small light illuminated two long guns, and a handful of pistols inside the hidden space. Sy ignored all of it and went for the door, hanging on it was a large knife at least seven inches long.

“I’m gunna gut this asshole.”

“You’re going to use a knife? Sy, he has a gun.”

Sy unsheathed it and finally turned to look down at you before pushing the wall back together. 

“That gun has maybe six rounds if he’s lucky. He’s used most of it already. Stay here alright. I’ll come get you when it’s over.”

You shook your head violently and grabbed for his hand. “Don’t go!”

Sy leaned over, wincing and pulling you up to meet his lips. And kissed you. “Don’t worry yourself, baby.”

He let you go and walked back through the library, then out into the hallway. A few seconds passed, something akin to concern began to beat through your spirit so you followed in his footsteps. Down the hallway, you headed toward the front door. You heard nothing in the house, saw nothing either. Cracking open the door night met you, aside from the lamps in the distance for the property fence you saw nothing else. 

Suddenly, you remember the kitchen. When snooping around you found a drawer where Sy kept the keys and a few property essentials. Swiftly you waddled through the dark, rummaged in the drawer closest to the ridge and grabbed a flashlight. Clicking it on you saw a small plastic open box with the spare key to the truck within it and grabbed that too.

By the time you made it outside the house nothing but the sound of crickets was heard. Fireflies blinked and floated over the grass gracefully as your eyes scanned the surroundings. You stepped off the porch and looked around again before clicking on the flashlight. A scream, distant and fractured gargle echoed from the far right of the property. 

You took a step toward the truck, keys in hand when the voice wailed again. It sounded like Sy. Wisp of a deep voice garbled and mixed up with another continued across the land. The will to escape tugged you closer toward the truck. Another yell blasted loud out of the tree line and it stopped you in your tracks.

“Sy!” the sound of your voice was nothing compared to the sound of his scream.

You darted toward his voice. Holding your stomach as you ran and tried to dodge rocks, holes in your already unbalanced state. You swung the flashlight in front before your path, catching glimpses of his clothes and skin in the distance. Halfway to where you thought he might be, Sy appeared from the trees. The light landed on his body, what emerged was a man bathed in blood, limping his arms up to his elbows were covered in red. 

Sy’s eyes were on you, squinted against the light until he took a few more steps and collapsed to the ground to his knees and palms. The phantom feeling to escape was back. He was low on the ground, helpless even. You could leave him right there, get in the truck and go. Sy grabbed at his leg, moaned low. You thought the intruder was moving again, rustling somewhere in the bush. The urge to run outweighed the mistrust of Sy so you ran to him. Grabbed at his arm, he got to his feet, leaned into you with his arm thrown around your shoulder as he limped.

“Baby, -- you came...back for me..” he said softly, deliriously slurring his words.

You had. Crazy as it was, he was dangerous and the root cause of the worst things in your life but he was yours.

The idea disgusted you further when you reflexively smiled back and held him tighter. He helped more when you stuffed his big body into the passenger side seat. He swept a bloody hand under your chin and tried to kiss you. Once you were behind the driver side you took off, peeling out of the drive as you whipped the truck around and sped down the driveway. Minutes later you were in front of the gate, when you looked over Sy’s eyes were shut, fluttering with unconsciousness so you slapped him hard.

“Wake up!”

He sat up straighter, looked around but you were yelling and shaking his arm as you asked. “Where are the gate keys?” Sy leaned back in the seat, his eyes still slowly blinking and pointed at the ashtray. 

You rushed out, unlocked the gate and ran back as quickly as your legs would allow. His eyes were open, barely, when you took off again. 

“Now tell me which way to go!” you said loudly. 

The ride felt like forever, like pulling teeth you had to twist through his mumbles, tear around what you assumed was the right direction he was pointing. But when you saw the black asphalt at the end of the gravel you cheered internally. The ride back to your home town was quick relative to the dirt road, soon you knew where you were going as Sy fully passed out. And at the hospital you pulled up at the emergency entrance and began banging at the glass door. 

You waited for a while, nibbling at the skin around your nails, nothing left you with the comfort you craved though. Was it worry about Sy? Or perhaps, the police officers entering the room that was doing it. Sy was up and awake, he had refused pain medication so he was clear eyed and focused when they approached you near his bed. 

Now clean of blood from your face and hands you let Sy do the talking. They had gone out to the house, inspected the property and found no one there. With all the blood you aren’t sure that was entirely true. You looked to Sy, anxiety written all over your face and he held your hand.

“And you ma’am. Are you okay to go back tonight with him?” one of them asked.

You could tell everything right now and you would have been protected. But you nod, look over at Sy. 

“I’m with him.”

* * *

**Years Later**

“Ugh, Sy...hurry up. It’s almost dark-” You kissed his cheek, “..end of the weekend,” And then pulled at the hem of his shirt, rushing it over his head. “I got work tomorrow…”

“Sorry, baby - didn’t think she would let me go..” 

Your arms slung around him, stealing kisses along the way to the corner of the bedroom, Sy pried your jeans down to the middle of your thighs.

“She’s like her Daddy,” you laughed under your breath and kissed him hard. Sy broke the kiss, urgency in his motions he turned you around.

“Hands on the wall,” he ordered and you complied easily. He quickly unzipped shorts, pulled out his thick heavy cock and then stepped back up to your ass. 

He hitched your hips into his hands and glided into you all the way. Both voices groaned at the sensation, snagged in you tight he pumped hard and fast. 

Stomping in the hallway pulled your attention but not Sy. You swept a hand behind attempting to halt his movement, he grabbed your wrist and kept thrust. 

“Wait..she’s-” 

A crash came from further down the hall followed by a high pitched scream. Sy flustered out a groan as he pulled out, and folded himself back into his shorts. “Fuck..”

You fumbled with your jeans as you walked through the bedroom. “Little girl!!” you shouted cheerfully. 

Sy pushed passed you on the way to the library. He yanked the door open and growled low with a giant smile on his face. The little girl within screamed in jest and as you came closer a purple ball hit him smack in the center of his face and then ricocheted back into the room. Sy gave chase, tearing through loudly as you followed behind him. He fell to the floor while grabbing the girl and letting her punch him in the ribs playfully. 

“Okay! Enough wrestling in the library!!” you yelled, but Sy and a chunky two year old kept tussling on the floor. 

The little girl grabbed the inflatable ball and tossed it out through the room. It flew across, over your head and hit a few framed photos on the book shelf behind you.

Your pitch hitched in time with the sound of it knocking against the frames. “Avery!”

Sy hunched over, and winced at the last falling face down. He feigned a frown at the girl before cracking a mischievous smile. “Let’s go to the pond!”

“Fishies!!”

The little girl grinned hard, turned tail and ran as Sy chased after her. The sigh from your mouth kept going while you walked to the scattered photos. One by one you right each to their rightful spot. A photo of Avery, just after she was born. Another of you and Sy hugged tight near a campfire. And as you picked up the last one, it was new to you, but the photo within was worn on the edges. It wouldn’t have caught your eye really. Except in a flash, a face at the center of a group of men had you returning your gaze back to the photo at hand.

You righted it on its edge and gazed at it.

The man at the center, black stringy hair but buzzed off on the sides so that a few pieces hung above is brow. He smiled big with yellow teeth capturing a joyous laugh mid photo. Take away the smile and replace it with that grimy grimace, it was the man. You were staring at the face of the intruder from two years ago. 

He was the man that shot Sy. 

But here he was in a framed photo within your house shared with Sy. 

This intruder...he was Sy’s friend.

Your hand dropped from the shelf. You stepped back as your eyes fell on the face of Sy, smiling happily in the other photo. 

With a soft sigh your chest tightened. “Oh,” you whispered. “What we will do for _love_...” 

THE END


End file.
